Murmurs: Sincerest Form of Flattery?

We promise never to use this Ferris joke again.

High-profile Portland lawyer Nena Cook
is in a competitive race for an open Oregon Supreme Court seat against
Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Timothy Sercombe and Multnomah County
Judge Richard Baldwin. Her campaign pitch might needimprovement, given the way she promotes some of her legal work. On the website of her firm, Sussman Shank LLP, Cook describesdefeating claims by “an injured veteran” and “two former female employees who were pregnant at the time of their termination” on behalf of employer clients. Cook tells WW
she wasn’t bragging about defeating vulnerable foes but instead
illustrating for potential clients that she is experienced in various
facets of employment law. “The laws that apply depend on the
characteristics of the individual,” Cook says. “That it is all I was
trying to convey.”

Buehler? Buehler? His name is not yet as familiar as a famous movie line, but big donors to Dr. Knute Buehler’s
campaign for secretary of state are making sure the Bend orthopedic
surgeon will have enough cash to get his name out there before the
November election. Seneca Jones Timber Co. kicked in $12,500 last
week—the biggest outside donation yet to the Republican candidate.
Buehler, 47, is now sitting on $219,000, almost twice the amount the
incumbent, Democrat Kate Brown, has in her campaign account.

Multnomah
County has settled with a man who was arrested for reckless driving and
disorderly conduct and then, he says, was beaten by jail deputies. Mark
Nyberg, 55, was arrested April 1, 2010; the sheriff’s office says deputies had to restrain him
after they wouldn’t allow him to use a wheelchair. (X-rays showed he
had a broken foot.) Nyberg alleged that deputies tackled him, stomped
his face, bent back his fingers until they swelled and twisted his
broken ankle until the pain caused him to lose control of his bowels.
Photos of Nyberg after the incident show bruises on his face and neck,
including some shaped like boot prints. Nyberg sought $148,000. The
county, without admitting wrongdoing, paid $55,000 to make the case go
away.

Here at WW,
we often find ourselves flattered by all the imitators out there. We’ve
especially had to get used to other media ripping us off over the
years. But perhaps this is going too far: ESPN Radio 710 AM in Los Angeles is promoting a sports medicine show called “Weekend Warrior.” The weekly show is being promoted with a “WW” logo that looks a lot like ours. As in, exactly like ours. WW adopted its current logo in 2007. ESPN’s logo is, well, newer.